SII to launch COVID-19 vaccine for children in six months: Poonawalla

 

 

 

SERUM Institute of India (SII) plans to launch a COVID-19 vaccine for children in the next six months, the company’s CEO Adar Poonawalla said on Tuesday. Participating in an industry conference, Poonawalla said the vaccine ‘Covovax’ is under trial and would offer protection to children all the way down to three years. Currently, Covishield and other COVID -19 vaccines are approved for people above the age of 18 years. “We have not seen a lot of severe disease in children. Fortunately, the panic is not there for children. However, we will be launching a vaccine in six months for children, hopefully down to the age of three,” Poonawalla said. Already, there are two companies in India who are licenced and their vaccines will be available soon, he added.

 

“I think, yes you should take and get your children vaccinated there is no harm, these vaccines have been proven to be safe and efficacious and all of that. If you feel you want to get your children vaccinated by all means, wait for government announcements on that, and you go ahead with that.

 

Our vaccine Covovax will be launched for children in six months,” Poonawall stated. He also said that Covovax is under trial and has shown excellent data all the way down to the age group of three years. Poonawalla noted that there was enough data to show that the vaccines will work and protect the children against the infectious disease. He pointed out that so far, nothing can be said about the Omicron variant as to how it would impact the children.